Third of female marathon runners 'get breast pain'

Almost a third of female marathon runners experience breast pain, with the proportion rising with increasing breast size, a study has found.

Researchers at St Mary's University College in London and the University of Portsmouth questioned almost 1,300 runners who took part in the London Marathon in 2012.

They found that 32 per cent of these experienced breast pain or 'mastalgia', a problem that was closely related to cup size.

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Half of women with an F size cup or larger reported breast pain, compared with one in four of those with an A size cup.

One in seven survey participants claimed that exercise made their symptoms worse, with half of the women experiencing breast pain during moderate exercise, rising to almost two-thirds during vigorous activity.

The researchers also found that more than a quarter of women with breast pain had reduced the intensity of their exercise because of their symptoms, with eight per cent describing the pain as 'distressing' or 'excruciating'.

Publishing their findings in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the study authors concluded: 'This study identified that exercise was the most prevalent factor in mastalgia occurrence, which may have implications for its management.'

The study also revealed that nine out of ten women wore a sports bra while running, indicating that these are not guaranteed to alleviate pain. Read the abstract

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